A double bass, also known as a contrabass viol, or commonly just referred to as a contrabass, is a large acoustic stringed instrument. It typically has a low pitch. The contrabass may be played either with a bow or by plucking. The contrabass typically has a large hollow wooden body that acts as a sounding chamber for the acoustical vibrations made by the instrument's strings. The frequency of the strings can be controlled by adjusting the tension of the strings during tuning of the instrument, and by effectively changing the length of the strings by depressing the strings against a fingerboard on an elongated neck above the hollow wooden body while the instrument is being played. Most commonly the user's left hand is used to finger the strings on the fingerboard, and the right hand is used to cause vibration of the strings either by plucking or bowing the strings. Because of the size and fragility of the instrument, it can be difficult to transport between locations. The physical jarring of movement of the instruments as well as changes in ambient conditions at different locations also tends to adjust the instruments out of tune when they are moved significant distances. Furthermore, the contrabass is often a very expensive instrument, which makes maintaining a practice instrument, for instance at a musician's home, cost prohibitive. For these reasons, it can be difficult for people that play the contrabass, especially students learning how to play, to practice the fingering and bowing techniques associated with playing the instrument.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved training device that allows practice of the contrabass that is less expensive and more portable than the actual instrument.